


Plenty of Fish in the Sea

by MarriedPhan1234



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Bullying, Chaptered, Coming Out, Completed, Crushes, Happy Ending, Homophobia, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Near Drowning, Open Water, Questioning of Sexuality, kid!phan, mermaid!phil, tw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-22 03:49:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11959086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarriedPhan1234/pseuds/MarriedPhan1234
Summary: When Dan and his family move into a new house on the beach, he has high hopes that he will be able to finally make some friends. He doesn't have much luck at school, but things start looking up for him when he starts spending more time in the water. He can't help but wonder if he and Phil will ever be able to have a good old fashioned Mario Kart tournament, though.Or, Phil is a mermaid and they become bff's!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, here we go! I've only been working on this for a few days, but I'm really excited about and decided to go ahead and post it! There are five (5) chapters in total and I have finished writing it all, and I'm going to post one chapter a day until they're all posted. Like I said, I haven't been working on it for very long, so I hope that ya'll will still like it. Enjoy, and let me know what you think! (PS I'm terrible at titles)

Dan watched the scenery pass by as they drove toward their new home. He had only seen it once when his parents brought him to get his opinion before they took the final steps to buying the house, and he had immediately run upstairs to claim his bedroom. He was beyond excited to move to a new place and he probably wouldn't have minded if they had bought a cardboard box to live in if he was honest.   
“Are we almost there?” he asked, startling both of his parents a bit.  
“Oh, good! You're awake! We're about five minutes away,” his mother informed him. He had slept for most of the drive, seeing as it was a three hour trip and he was easily susceptible to travel sickness. He hummed in response and looked back out his window.   
This town was nice. Rather small, but that was fine as it meant he wouldn't have far to travel for school. He might even be able to walk there, although Dan walking? Who was he kidding? He made note of the library, a few cafe's and a park. He might actually like it here.   
After just a few more minutes, they pulled into the driveway of their new house. It wasn't small, but it wasn't huge either. It was just right for the three of them, with an extra room to use as an office or possible entertainment room. Dan could hope.  
Dan flung open his door and jumped out of the car. His legs were a little achy from being cooped up in the car for so long, but he didn't care. It was almost evening, so it wasn't so hot, which meant it was the perfect time to explore.   
“Daniel, be careful! And don't touch the water! The tides could be changing and it will drag you right under,” his mother warned as he took off toward the water. He shouted a noncommittal reply and kept running.   
He knew she was right, though. He would have to learn how to swim now that they lived on the beach. Maybe his mother could have someone come and give him lessons, although he would be a bit embarrassed. Come on, a twelve year old that never learned how to swim? There had never been a need to learn when they lived in London and never went near the beach, much less a pool.   
He stopped to take off his shoes and then walked along the water line. They were pretty secluded on this part of the beach with a small cliff that would be perfect to jump off of, if you were a strong swimmer, and just under and to the side of it was a ledge perfect for dangling your legs into the water. He made his way toward it, slipping just a little as he stepped onto the slick rock. It was getting dark, so he couldn't see how deep the water was, but when he sat and stuck his feet in, he didn't feel sand. He would have to have his dad come check it out, maybe have him swim down and see just how deep it was here.   
Dan looked out at the open sea. It was truly beautiful, the setting sun shimmering orange and red over the surface of the water. He wondered what was on the other side of this cliff. If anyone swam just on the other side, they probably wouldn't see each other. And down the beach in the opposite direction, the closest house was about a mile away, and it was for sale as well. So, they were pretty much alone here. That thought was a little comforting to Dan as he wasn't really interested in getting to know lots of new people. They would probably just pick on him like everyone did at his old school.  
“Hey! What are you doing out here?” Called a curious voice, causing Dan to just about jump out of his skin. He glanced around him to see if someone had walked up behind him, but then realized the voice had come from below him, in the water. The voice belonged to a boy with black hair and very pale skin, so pale that it almost looked like he was shimmering. Dan shook his head, it was just the water on his skin that made him look like that.  
“W-we just moved in,” he replied. Who even was this kid? Where had he come from? Something was just odd with this whole encounter. “What are you doing out here? Are you allowed to swim by yourself at night? What if you drown?!” Dan pulled his legs out of the water and scooted back a bit.  
The black haired boy chuckled. “Don't worry about me, I'm a good swimmer. So, you're gonna stay for a while, then?” the boy asked, and he sounded hopeful.  
“Yeah. I mean, most likely,” Dan was so confused. This boy couldn't have been that much older than him, maybe a year or two. Why would his parents just let him swim alone like this? Didn't they care whether or not he was eaten by a shark? He decided to go for something a little easier. “What's your name?”  
“Phil. And yours?” The boy, Phil, was swaying with the waves. He didn't look nervous about being in the open water like that, so Dan decided not to worry too much either.  
“Dan. Do you live around here?” Dan asked. Maybe there were more houses nearby that he hadn't noticed.   
“Yep,” was Phil's only response. He swam closer and rested his arms on the rock and smiled up at Dan. In the evening light, his eyes looked almost like they were glowing. They were a soft crystal blue with little flecks of green and yellow. And his teeth looked oddly sharp, but that was probably just a trick of the eyes as well. Dan raised his eyebrows and waited for Phil to elaborate where exactly the heck he had come from when he heard his mother calling his name.  
“Okay, then. I'll see you later?” Dan said. He stood and tried not to slip as he made his way back to the sand.   
“Yep,” Phil answered. What the heck was this guys deal?  
“Maybe at school tomorrow?” Dan asked as he pulled on his shoes. He wasn't sure why he was putting them back on when he was just going to kick them back off when he got inside.  
“No, I'm… sort of home schooled,” Phil said with a chuckle.   
“Oh. Okay, well, be careful in there,” Dan called as he made his way home.  
The sun had fully set but his mother had flicked on the porch light for him, thankfully. Dan would never admit it, but he was terrified of the dark. And moths, and ghosts. He ran the last few meters to the door and kicked off his sandy shoes just outside the door as he knew his mother would throw a fit if he tracked sand all over her new carpet.   
“Hello, dear. Find anything interesting?” his mother asked as she handed him a plate of cheese crackers to snack on.  
“There's a cool rock to sit and put your feet in the water. Oh, I'm going to have to learn how to swim by the way. I met one of the new neighbors and he was a really good swimmer. His parents let him swim at night!” Dan said as he tucked into his snack. They had eaten fast food on the way there as they knew they wouldn't arrive until after dinner time, but he was a growing boy after all. He looked up to see a confused look on his mother's face.  
“Are you sure? Our closest neighbors are a few miles away. How old was this boy?” She asked, sliding a glass of water in front of him.  
“I think so. I think he was around my age, but maybe he's older than I thought. He said he lives around here, though. Do you think he swam all that way?” Dan asked, getting more concerned for Phil by the minute. If he lived a few miles away that meant he would have to either walk or swim all the way back, and both of those options could be dangerous when you're alone at night.   
“If he were older, he might have. Alright, time for bed, young man. You've got school tomorrow,” she said. She took his now empty plate over to the sink and waited for him to finish his drink.  
Dan groaned and handed it over. “Don't remind me,” he grumbled.  
“Oh, come on now. Things will be better here, I can feel it,” she said as she gave him a big hug.   
Dan wished his mother a goodnight and then headed upstairs to get ready for bed. He really hoped that she was right and that things would be better here. He didn't know if he could handle anymore bullying. He brushed his teeth and put on some pajamas before going through his box of clothes to make sure he had the perfect first day outfit. He wanted to look nice, but also not be noticed too much. He hoped that jeans and a plain blue t-shirt would be enough to help him blend in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, there is some bullying and offensive, homophobic language.

The good thing about Dan's new school was that there were fewer students than his old one. The class sizes were smaller and he felt like he actually learned a few things. Plus, fewer people means statistically fewer bullies, or at least that's what Dan hoped.   
Dan didn't go out after he got home on that first day of school. He was so tired, emotionally and physically, from the move as well as his new school starting an hour before he was used to. He had to wake up at 5:30 am now! It was completely unfair, borderline abuse he would dare say. He finished his homework and then took a much needed nap, then got started unpacking his boxes. He arranged all of his books and nick-nacks, and scooted is chest of drawers around to make everything aesthetic and cool and totally not like a little kid's room. He thought about throwing out his fairy lights, but decided against it because they were actually pretty cool. Not because he needed them as a night light or anything. No, not at all.  
The second day of school was when everything started to go to shit. Apparently, Mrs. Jones had told Dan to sit at a desk that was already claimed. The student who usually sat there had been out sick the day before, and when Dan had apologized and tried to explain that their teacher had told him to sit there, the boy simply shoved Dan to the floor before taking his seat. A few people had laughed, but most of the students just seemed unfazed, like the other boy acted like that all the time. He scrambled to gather his things and then found an empty desk in the back of the room and tried not to be noticed.  
Unfortunately, Dan had more than one class with the bully boy from earlier. After lunch, Dan settled into his desk for the last class of the day only to see that he did not have a single pen or pencil. He could have sworn he had at least a few in his bag just before lunch. Seriously, did they grow legs and walk away? He politely asked the girl next to him if she had an extra one, and as soon as she handed it over, the bully boy was standing in front of his desk with his arms crossed.  
“You flirting with my girl?” he demanded. If Dan lived in a cartoon, he was sure there would be steam coming from this boy's ears.  
Dan's first thought was, really, who says things like that in frickin' 2017? But he tried his best to be polite and not get himself anymore on this guy's bad side. “No, no I wouldn't flirt with your girl. I was just-”   
“You wouldn't? What, you don't think she's pretty? You calling my girl ugly?” He leaned on Dan's desk in the most threatening manner he could.  
“No? I just don't like her that way. Can you just leave me alone? If I sat in your desk again, I'll move. But really, I was just borrowing a pencil,” Dan explained as calmly as he could, but he knew there was no reasoning with bullies.   
“Oh, so you're some kinda fairy boy? Hey, mates! We got us a fairy boy, here!” The boy shouted. Suddenly all the other boys were whooping and hollering with the first boy, chanting horrible names at Dan. Finally, the teacher walked in and told everyone to sit down for class. Dan pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them, his skinny frame fitting perfectly in the desk even when he was all folded up, and just doodled quietly throughout class. When he went to return the girl's pencil, she gave him a pitying smile and told him to keep it. He was definitely not going to like it here.  
Dan trudged home with a heavy heart. How could this be happening again? And so soon after moving here. His parents would be devastated. He avoided his mother by bypassing the house altogether and walking straight to the big sitting rock, rolling up his trousers, and dangling his feet over the edge.  
In the daytime Dan could see that the water here was crystal clear and he could see that it was very, very deep. He could just make out little shells and pretty rocks. He wondered if he would ever learn to swim well enough to dive for them himself.  
“You came back!” Phil exclaimed, and Dan was sure he just had a heart attack.  
“Oh my God, you scared me to death! Where did you even come from?” Dan was clutching his chest and closed his eyes while he caught his breath. Was Phil just going to pop up out of nowhere like this all the time?  
“Are you alright, Dan?” Phil asked, and Dan could hear that he was nervous.   
“I'm fi-What the hell?!” Dan scurried back as far as he could until his back hit the rock wall behind him and just stared at Phil with wide eyes. “What- You don't have legs, Phil!” he shouted dumbly. Dan's mind was reeling. Phil had a tail, an actual mermaid tail with fins at the end. And those glowing blue eyes and shimmery skin, yep those were real too. He wasn't sure whether to run away or wait for Phil to explain, but the scared look on Phil's face helped him come to a conclusion.  
“Um, no. No, I don't. I'm sure you're really scared right now, and honestly I kind of am too, but I won't hurt you. You seem nice and I just thought… I dunno. That we could be friends? That's so stupid. I'm sorry, Dan. I'll go if you want,” Phil looked so sad and scared. Like he was actually afraid that Dan might be the one to hurt him, which was silly seeing as Dan couldn't even swim.   
Dan really wasn't sure how to respond. Was he going crazy? Last he checked, mermaids weren't real. They were for Disney movies and sailors' fantasies, not for making friends with in middle school. So what the hell was Phil doing being a mermaid?!  
When Dan didn't respond, Phil sighed and turned to go, and Dan finally got control of his tongue. “You don't have to go! Just… what the hell?” he said with a nervous chuckle. He couldn't think of anything else to say, but he really didn't want Phil to go. Even if he was mental and imagining all of this, he did need a friend, even an aquatic one.   
Phil turned back to Dan but stayed where he was, not wanting to freak Dan out anymore. “As long as you promise not to tell anyone about me, or hurt me, I'll tell you anything you want to know. I don't… I don't have any friends and the last owners of your house were old and mean,” Phil said, looking down into the water.  
Dan watched as his tail swayed in the water, keeping Phil upright and in the same spot. It was beautiful and Dan realized that it matched Phil's eyes. Scales of blues, greens, and yellows all swirling together, glistening in the sunlight through the water. “Okay. Assuming that you're not a figment of my imagination, where did you even come from?” Dan rubbed his eyes hard with his fists and when he opened his eyes, yep, Phil was still there. Was he actually relieved by that?  
“Me and my mum occupy this part of the beach. There's only a few other mermaids here, but they're all old men. They're pretty gruff. So, I don't have anyone to hang out with,” Phil said. He was floating just a tad closer to the rock that Dan was sitting on, but Dan didn't mind. He was still very skeptical, but Phil seemed genuine, and Dan could understand needing friends.  
“There are others? Why hasn't anyone really seen you before? Are there more of you in other places?” Once Dan got started, he couldn't stop. One question he asked only brought up another and another, and he spoke without really thinking about how offensive his wording might sound.  
Phil placed his hands on the rock to keep himself steady. “There used to be more of us, but we're almost extinct. I think there is another, larger family near Australia, but we haven't heard from them in quite some time. And no one has seen us because we really don't want to go extinct,” Phil gave an awkward chuckle after the last bit.   
“Did… did we, humans I mean, kill your people?” Dan asked. Dan was aware of how awful people could be to one another, especially to minorities.   
“Um, yes. But, like I said, you seem nice,” Phil said, clearly not wanting to linger on the subject any longer.  
“You seem nice too,” Dan said, and he started inching his way closer to the water.  
They stayed there talking for hours. Dan finally got comfortable enough to put his feet back in the water, and Phil even floated on his back so that Dan could see a close up of his tail. They actually got along rather well. They joked and splashed and chatted with no awkward pauses or lulls and Dan was so happy that he finally had a friend.   
“Why don't you swim? Are you still afraid of me?” Phil teased, but Dan knew it was lighthearted.   
“No, I… I don't know how to swim,” Dan mumbled. He hoped that Phil wouldn't think he was pathetic. He was probably born knowing how to swim, and here was Dan, barely able to survive a deep bubble bath.  
“Really? I could teach you, if you wanted,” Dan looked up to see Phil smiling at him.   
“That would be cool. Then we could actually do stuff together, instead of just sitting on this rock,” Dan said, and they both laughed. He caught another glimpse of Phil's sharp teeth, but tried not to stare. He briefly wondered what Phil ate, and if he had any way of cooking it, and had a momentary panic that maybe he lured in and ate people. But he shook the thought away and focused on his kind eyes. Phil wasn't a monster, he could tell.  
Phil must have noticed where Dan's gaze had fallen because he chuckled again and asked, “Are you wondering if I'm trying to trick you? That I might be some kind of Siren who eats people?” Dan could tell that he was joking again, but that didn't stop the blush that crept onto his cheeks.  
He covered his face with his hands in mortification. “Oh, God, I'm sorry. Honestly, the thought did cross my mind, but I can tell that you're not like that. You're nice,” Dan said and looked back at Phil to see him shaking his head fondly at him.  
Phil crossed his arms on the rock and rested his head on them. “Just so you know, I mostly eat plants and the occasional fish, but I feel bad killing them,” he explained calmly.   
Dan rummaged through his backpack for a minute and pulled out a packet of Maltesers. “Ever had one of these?” he asked, showing it to Phil who shook his head no. “Wanna try one?”  
“Sure,” Phil said, taking one from Dan's hand. His fingers brushed Dan's palm, and he couldn't help but notice that Phil's skin was cool and surprisingly not pruned. He saw that the shimmering of his skin was actually very fine, translucent scales dotted over his body. He wasn't covered in them, just a patch here and there, and he had a small set of gills behind his ears that you wouldn't notice unless you were close to him. He watched Phil pop the candy into his mouth and waited for his reaction.  
“It's… weird. But good, I guess. Is that what humans eat?” Phil asked.  
“They're my favorite, but we can't eat them very often because they're not very good for you,” Dan answered. “So, can you like breathe under water and stuff?” Dan asked as he ate some more candy, he offered some more to Phil but he just shook his head.  
“Yeah, I actually spend most of my time under water. It's easier to stay out of sight that way,” Phil said. Dan nodded his head and started to speak when they heard Dan's mother calling for him.  
“Guess I'd better go. I'll see you tomorrow?” Dan asked as he stood and gathered his backpack and shoes.  
“I'll be here. Don't forget, swim lessons start tomorrow!” Phil exclaimed.  
Dan turned back and gave him a nervous smile. “Promise you won't let me drown?”  
Phil held out his pinky finger, which Dan moved forward to link with his own. “Promise,” Phil said with a warm grin. Dan smiled back at him before turning and heading home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter there is a near-drowning scene, so read with caution if that's something that may bother you, but remember this has a happy ending!

Phil laid on his back under the water and waited for Dan to meet him. He had a perfect view of the sitting rock from where he was lounging in the sand, the smooth rocks gently massaging his back as he swayed slightly with the current. This was his favorite part of living in the sea; the view. You could look up and see the world in a whole new way. Everything was softer and a little distorted, and very quiet. He enjoyed quiet. It almost kept him from wishing he didn't live in the sea. Almost.  
The truth was, Phil hated being a mermaid. He wanted to meet people his own age, make friends, go on adventures, or even do nothing at all as long as he could do those things on dry land.  
He had once asked his mother why he couldn't make human friends, since that was really his only choice, and she had not reacted well. She went on a whole rant about how evil and dangerous humans are, even young ones. She had said that all they wanted was to kill all mermaids or put them in aquariums to gawk at all day. And of course, he had believed her, until the loneliness became too much. About two years ago, Phil started watching people. He would hide under docks and tangled up in seaweed, anywhere he could and just observe them. And they didn't seem all that bad. Maybe his mum was just misled.   
Either way, he knew better than to tell her where he had been going these last few days. She could never know that he had actually spoken to a human, much less that he was friends with one and teaching him how to swim.   
Speaking of which, Dan was coming along nicely. He had learned how to doggy paddle, as well as how to stay calm and float on his back if he got too overwhelmed in the water. Once Dan realized that staying calm was the most important thing, and that when there's air in your lungs you float, he actually started to enjoy himself.   
The previous day, Phil had even convinced Dan to let him hold onto him and take him out past where he could touch. Dan had looked so scared, but trusted Phil anyways and wrapped his arms tightly around Phil's neck while Phil wrapped his own around Dan's body and held him close. They swayed in the waves for a few moments before Dan couldn't take it anymore and instinctively wrapped his legs around Phil and buried his face into Phil's neck and begged to go back. Phil obliged and let Dan hang onto him even after they were in the shallow water, and he told him how well he was doing.   
Finally, Phil glanced over to see Dan standing on the rock and waving at him. Phil pushed with his arms and made his way to the surface, and Dan was staring at him with this look of almost awe. “What?” Phil asked.  
Dan shook his head as he was brought back to reality. “Nothing. It's just cool that you can do that. Anyways, I brought you a present!” Dan exclaimed and held a little bag out for Phil. “It's Swedish Fish! Now you don't have to feel so bad for eating them,” Dan giggled. He sat down and opened the bag, handing one of the little fish shaped candies to Phil.  
Phil cocked his head to the side and examined it. “Is this more candy? I thought you said it was bad for you!” Phil teased and then tentatively put it in his mouth.  
Dan giggled harder, “It is bad for you. What do you think?” He watched as Phil contemplated and chewed.  
“Hmm, it's… it's really good!” Phil said and he pulled his upper body onto the rock, his tail swaying in the water behind him. Dan placed the bag between them.  
“So, I have a question,” Dan said through a mouth full of candy. Phil hummed as he chewed. “Can you get out of the water at all? Like even for a minute?”  
Phil thought for a moment. “I've never tried, but… yeah, probably for a minute. I can't let my tail get too dry though as I've been told that it really freaking hurts. I guess that would be comparable to a sun burn for you,” Phil said. There was only one little gummy fish left so he slid the bag toward Dan so that he could have it, and then pushed himself off the rock. “Ready to swim?” he asked with a grin.  
“Yep!” Dan said before popping the last candy in his mouth. After he swallowed it, he leaned down close to Phil and said, “Hey, Phil. Have I got fish in my teeth?” he asked and bared his teeth in the most unflattering way, giggling hysterically.   
Phil splashed him and laughed, “Get in the water, you spoon!” The had a little splash war before Dan stood up and walked over to the sand where he could ease into the water. He was still a bit nervous, but he know that as long as he stayed calm he could float on his back and call for Phil if he needed to. He slowly paddled out to Phil, just past where he could no longer touch, but he was doing fine. He kept his breathing even and just went with the flow of the water. Today, they were just practicing what Dan had already learned.  
After a little while of swimming back and forth, Dan was actually feeling pretty confident in the water. They floated on their backs with their arms linked together so they wouldn't drift apart, and just relaxed. It was a beautiful sunny day and Dan hated for this to end, but he knew he needed to go and apply some more sun screen otherwise he would be the color of a tomato. He let Phil know what he was doing and then slowly started paddling to the shore.   
He hadn't realized how far out they had drifted, but he tried his best to stay calm and just keep moving steadily forward. He would feel the sand beneath his feet soon, and Phil wasn't far behind him in case he got too overwhelmed. He was fine, he was fine, he was going to be fine.  
As he paddled, the waves started to pick up. A boat must have passed by farther out, causing the water to splash over Dan's head a little, but he remained calm. They weren't that bad. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Phil was following him, but instead of seeing his friend, he was met with salt water slamming into his nose and mouth. He struggled against the current, trying to stay at the surface, but he was getting really frightened. He spluttered and coughed but couldn't catch a full breath before he was pulled under the water again.   
Dan's lungs were burning and he was flailing about under the water. There was water in his nose and mouth and he needed air, needed to cough and get air into his lungs, but he just couldn't figure out which which way was up. He kept kicking and fighting against the water, but it was no use. His brain was running out of oxygen, he was running out of time, and everything was starting to feel hazy. Oh God, he was going to die.   
His lungs felt like they were going to burst out of his chest and his movements were getting slower, but he couldn't do anything about it. This was it, this would be the end of Dan Howell. His mother had warned him to stay out of the water, had promised to get him swim lessons and had even bought him a life jacket, but why would he bother with a life jacket when he had Phil? And where was Phil now?   
Everything was fading, but he felt arms wrap around his body and he was pulled to the side. Or was it the side? He had no idea, for all he knew he was being dragged further down, but then there was air. He finally took in a breath and started coughing. Next thing he knew he was on his hands and knees in shallow water, coughing up water. There were cool hands patting his back and he could hear Phil asking him if he was alright, but he just kept coughing, hacking, and then sobbing.  
“Ph-Phil!” he cried, and then he was being pulled into an embrace. He clung to Phil for dear life and sobbed against his chest. Everything hurt and he felt weak and tired and so, so scared. What if Phil hadn't been there? What if the water hadn't been as clear and he hadn't found him? What if he had slipped off the sitting rock on that first night before Phil had shown up? He sobbed and shook, snot and tears running down his face, no doubt dripping onto Phil's chest, but Dan couldn't care.   
“You're okay, Dan. I've got you now. I'm so sorry, I should have known better than to let you go back to shore alone. I'm sorry, Dan, I'm sorry,” Phil said as he held Dan tight and rocked him slightly. After a few minutes, Dan finally felt like he could fully breathe again and his sobs turned into light hiccuping.   
Dan hadn't noticed, but Phil had pulled him onto his lap and Dan was grateful that he had. He nuzzled his forehead against Phil's neck, securely wrapped one arm around Phil's body and listened to his steady heartbeat. With his free hand, he drew little shapes onto the skin of Phil's chest and shoulders, just trying to distract himself while marveling in how beautiful his new friend was. He gently pressed his fingers into the dip of his collar bones and trailed them over to his arm again.  
Phil took a shaky breath. “I think that's enough swim lessons for now, don't you?” he asked, his voice just above a whisper.  
“Yeah,” Dan replied, his voice rough and raspy. The feeling made him cough lightly once or twice.  
“I'm so sorry, Dan. I promised I wouldn't let you drown, but then you almost did,” Phil complained.  
“S'not your fault, Phil. I just panicked. And you asked if I needed you to come with me, I should have said yes,” Dan said. Talking hurt his throat, so he hoped that would be enough of a rebuttal. He knew it was really neither of their fault. The waves had picked up out of nowhere and then Dan panicked. It was out of either of their control.  
“Well, it's not your fault either,” Phil mumbled. They didn't say anything for a few moments. Phil let Dan do as he pleased now that he was comfortable and calm, still running his fingers ever so gently over Phil's flesh. Finally, he spoke again. “You should go in and rest. You worked hard today.” He didn't expect Dan to nuzzle him closer and place his warm hand flat over his heart.  
“I wish you could come in with me,” Dan said, and Phil felt his whole body get a few degrees warmer.  
“Me too,” he admitted.   
Dan leaned up and looked at Phil for the first time since they had reached the shore. “You do?” he asked. Phil nodded his head. Dan contemplated for a moment before resting his head back down under Phil's chin.   
He wondered what that would be like, to have a friend out in the real world. To have sleepovers and Mario Kart tournaments, someone to walk to school with and have lunch with and to just not have to be alone anymore. But he remembered what Phil had said. He belonged in the ocean, and Dan just had to accept that.   
Phil held him until his mum called him for dinner. With one final squeeze, Dan gave Phil a smile to show that he was really okay and then wished him a goodnight. He hoped that one day maybe Phil could come inside with him, but he knew that was useless. He hoped… well, he wasn't sure what he hoped. That Phil would grow legs? That he would make a deal with a sea witch to get some legs? He knew it was ridiculous, but he still felt that nagging feeling that maybe someday… something would happen. He wasn't sure what he hoped, he just knew that he did.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains Coming Out, and also a very angry momma mermaid!

Dan hated school. Well, it wasn't so much the school that he hated, or even the homework, as much as the other students. He was constantly being picked on, either for his size and the fact that he was smaller than the rest of the students his age, or for the fact that he hadn't denied it when he was accused of liking boys. It's not that he liked any of the boys at school, they were all dickheads, but he certainly didn't like any of the girls, and that was enough to fuel the fires of the bullies endless taunting.   
He was often pushed around in the hallway and called horrible names, and while it was always the same select few that picked on him, none of the other students did anything to stop it.   
The worst part was, Dan wasn't even sure that he did like boys. When he thought about it, he guessed that it really wouldn't matter to him the person's gender, as long as he liked them and they liked him, and that just made it all the more confusing. He wasn't gay, because he definitely thought that girls were pretty, but he wasn't so much opposed to the thought of holding hands and kissing boys either, so he couldn't be straight either. He felt as though he were in constant inner turmoil.   
He had never even liked anyone in that way before, boy or girl, so how would he know? Well, he hadn't ever liked anyone before now. He was pretty sure he liked Phil like that, but then again, he had never even had a real friend before, so maybe he just really liked Phil as a friend. But did friends dream about being in their friends' arms, safe and warm? Did friends make your heart flutter and your cheeks flush? Dan had no freaking clue!  
Dan wasn't even sure that his parents would be okay with it if he did like boys. He had never heard them voice an opinion one way or the other about it, so he wasn't sure how they would react to his questioning. He was only twelve, for God's sake, why did he have to think about this now?  
Finally, Dan decided that he simply had to talk to his mother about it. She loved him and he trusted her with everything, he would have to trust that she wouldn't totally freak out about this. So, after school and before he went outside to see Phil, he quietly slipped into the kitchen and sat at the table where his mother was sat working on a frilly wreath for the front door.   
“Oh, hello dear,” she glanced up to see the unsure look on his face. “What's on your mind?”  
“I need to talk to you about something,” he said, twiddling his thumbs to avoid looking at her.  
“You know you can tell me anything, darling. I promise not to overreact,” she assured him. She laid down her work to give her son her full attention.  
“I think… I might have a crush on someone,” he said, glancing up at her, but then right back down to his hands.  
“Ooh! What's her name? You had me scared there for a minute,” she said with a giddy tone.  
Dan took a deep breath. “I mean, I think I have a crush on someone that I shouldn't have a crush on,” he explained. He looked back up at her. If she had a bad reaction to that, then he needed to stop now while he was ahead.   
She looked genuinely confused with her head tilted to the side, “What do you mean? You can't help who you have a crush on.”  
“Well,” this was it. He was really going to say it out loud for the first time ever. “The reason I shouldn't have a crush on them is because… it's a boy.” Oh, and also he's part fish. He looked back down at his hands and waited for a response. After a few seconds of silence, he panicked and started rambling. “But, I'm not even sure if I really do like him. He's like, my only friend and I don't even know if he likes me like that or anything, and I don't want to freak him out. And I've never even liked anyone before, so I don't even know if I really like him. I'm just so confused and I don't know-”  
“Oh, honey, I was waiting for you to add something terrible about this boy. There's nothing wrong with liking a boy. And there's nothing wrong with being unsure about it, either. I think the best way to really figure out if you like someone like that is, think about how they make you feel. Do you want to spend lots of time with them and they make you happy? Well, that could be just a friend. But, is it more than that? Do they give you butterflies, do you want to hold their hand, do they make you feel super special in like a really weird and embarrassing way? Then, you probably do like them.” Dan finally looked up at her to see her smiling at him. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He knew he could always trust her, and he knew that she was right. There was nothing wrong with him. He just needed to talk it out with someone and get it out of his head.  
“So, what's his name?” she asked, picking up her bundle of ribbons.  
“Phil. He's like… really great, mum,” he said, and he couldn't help the blush that spread over his cheeks. “But I don't know if he likes me like that, or if he even likes boys. I can't lose the only friend I have. What am I gonna do?” he said, resting his head on the table in a dramatic show of lament.  
“Just wait and see. Watch for signs that he likes you. Like, has he ever tried to hold your hand for no reason?” she asked.  
Dan remembered how Phil had held him after saving his life, but that was just to comfort him after a near death experience. “No, not without reason.”  
“Well, just wait and see, darling. If he likes you and it's meant to be, it will be. But if he doesn't, it'll still be okay. It will hurt, but you'll make it through,” she said.   
Dan smiled at her as he stood up from the table. “Thanks, mum. You're really cool, you know that?”  
“Yes, I did in fact know that,” she deadpanned.  
They both giggled and Dan went out the backdoor to go meet Phil. Today, he was armed with his life jacket, just in case. Honestly, he should have been wearing it all along. Phil was there to catch him if he needed it, but that didn't change the fact that Phil could breathe under water and Dan could not. Besides, Phil was only 13. Anything could have happened to the two of them. He shook the thought away as he sat with his feet in the water and waited for Phil.  
It was strange. Phil was always there waiting for Dan, not the other way around. Maybe he was busy today. It's not like Phil had a phone and could just text Dan to cancel last minute. He kept waiting, only allowing himself to worry for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and reminding himself that Phil was literally made for the water. He was probably fine. Probably.  
After about an hour, Dan finally saw Phil swimming towards him. He came up and rested on the edge of the rock, a little out of breath.  
“Sorry. I couldn't get away from my mum. I actually caught her following me at first, but I think I lost her-”  
“Philip Michael Lester!” The boys turned to see a very angry mermaid swimming towards them. Dan could only assume that she was Phil's mother. She charged at Phil, blocking him against the rock, and Dan had just enough wits about him to scramble back as far as he could, but that was all he could do. “What have I told you about talking to humans? They're evil! He could kill you, and if he doesn't, another one will!” Dan had never seen someone so angry before in his life. Her eyes were glowing blue, similar to Phil's, but they were slowly turning a bright, angry red. As she spoke, her teeth elongated and grew sharper, as well as her finger nails. Then she turned to Dan. “Who have you told about us? What were you planning to do to my son?!” she demanded. When Dan only whimpered in response, she lunged at him with her claws and Dan screamed and curled in on himself. She didn't quite reach him, but he knew that if she could, she would have hurt him. “Speak, human!” she roared.   
“Mum, stop!” Phil cried. Dan opened his eyes again to see him pulling her away from Dan as hard as he could, but he wasn't doing much good. She was much bigger than he was, and clearly her anger was effecting her in terrifying ways. “He's my friend! You can't hurt him,” he continued to plead. Finally, her face dropped and her eyes started to fade back to blue. She watched as Dan shook and cried.  
“Your friend? You- you're just a child. I…” she slowly calmed down, realizing what she had done. “I'm sorry, I can't believe I almost hurt you,” she said, her voice now one of a caring mother, rather than a raging monster. Dan sat up and wiped his face, but didn't move any closer.   
“He's my friend, mum. My only friend,” Phil said, tears streaming down his face.   
She hugged Phil then and kept watching Dan. “I'm so sorry. I just… when I saw that you were talking to a human I- I was so scared. You may be nice,” she nodded at Dan, “but so many others aren't. There is no way to be sure, Phil. How do you know he's your friend?” she asked, finally letting Phil go.  
Phil turned around to rest his arms on the rock. “Because I know. I trust him,” Phil said simply. He wiped his face with his hand. Suddenly, he groaned. “Ugh, why can't I just leave this stupid ocean? You know, he risked his life to be my friend? Yesterday, he nearly drown and it was all my fault. I was teaching him to swim and, and… He almost died, and yet here he is. Doesn't that count for something?” Phil shouted.  
His mother looked at a loss for words. She looked back over at Dan. “You nearly drown?”  
“Yes. But Phil saved me,” he said. “Because he's my friend,” he reiterated.   
“And you really want to leave the ocean?” she asked Phil.  
He looked down, like he regretted saying so. “Sometimes I think about it, but I mostly just said that to hurt you. I'm sorry, mum,” he admitted.  
She nodded her head in understanding, thinking about what she should say next. She looked between them a few times before she finally spoke. “What if I told you that you could leave the ocean if you wanted?” she asked.  
They both stared at her. “What?” Phil asked.  
“You saved his life, right?” she asked. Both of them nodded enthusiastically at her. “Well, any mermaid that saves a human's life is granted the ability to leave the ocean as they please. I never told you because,” she looked down in shame, “I was scared. I didn't want you to risk it, and I didn't want to risk losing you.” She had tears in her eyes as she swayed with the water.  
Phil gaped at her. “I-I don't want to leave forever. I don't want to leave you,” he said, reaching for her.  
“No, darling, you can come and go as you please,” she said, taking his hands in hers. “When you're on dry land, you will have legs, you'll lose your tail and gills and be able to live as a human. And when you step into salt water, you will transform back into a mermaid,” she explained.  
Phil looked up at Dan with hope in his eyes. Dan jumped up, swaying a bit as his feet threatened to slip out from under him. “I'll get you a towel!” he said as he took off running to his house.  
Phil looked back to his mother, unsure of what to say. “I don't… Are you sure I'll be able to come back?” he asked.  
“I'm sure. My father was able to come and go. Unfortunately, he was found out. That's how we came to reside here. He was so sure that they were going to hurt us, but looking back, I'm not sure that he had a reason to think that,” she explained.   
Dan came jogging back with a clean towel then. He sat back down on the rock and waited for Phil to make his decision. Phil gulped and moved to pull himself up onto the rock. He sat there for a moment, just the end of his tail still in the water, and then scooted back. Dan draped the towel over his lap to save his dignity. He had seen movies where people change from one form to another and it was safe to assume that Phil would not be wearing any boxers under that tail.  
The three of them were silent as they watched Phil. At first, it seemed as though nothing was going to happen, but finally, his tail started to change color. It went from the kaleidoscope of blues and greens to a pale peach that matched his upper body. They watched as his tail transformed before their very eyes into two fully functional human legs. Dan couldn't believe his eyes and had a momentary thought that he was most definitely hallucinating. He was going to wake up in his bed in their old house in London and none of this had even happened, but then Phil turned to him with the biggest grin on his face. “Help me up!” he said and Dan did.   
He helped to secure the towel around Phil's waist and watched as Phil took a few tentative steps across the rock. Phil was absolutely beaming, and not because of any scales on his skin or glowing eyes. He looked so happy, and when he turned to Dan again, he didn't hesitate to wrap him in a tight hug. Dan held him tight and closed his eyes and he buried his face in Phil's neck, reveling in the familiarity.   
When they finally pulled away from each other, Dan giggled. “You're gonna need some clothes.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months later, there is a new student at Dan's school. This chapter contains some homophobic language, but has a happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the final chapter! I hope you all have enjoyed this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you think of it! (:

Dan sat quietly in his desk at the back of the room, trying as usual not to be noticed. He's set his backpack in the desk next to his to make sure that no one sits there as he flips through his notebook searching for his homework. The bell was set to ring any minute, but the room is still mostly empty as the more popular students were out roaming the halls. He's a nervous wreck and can't find the stupid homework page for the life of him.  
Someone walks by, stopping at the desk beside Dan, silently asking for him to move his stuff so they could sit down, but he just shakes his head at them and puts his attention back on furiously leafing through his papers. His hands are sweaty and he's smearing all of his notes and he's going to get detention if he doesn't find the stupid assignment oh God oh God.  
A shadow forms over his desk and Dan already knows who it is.   
“My mate needs that desk. Move your shit,” the bully, Marcus as Dan has learned to be his name, orders.  
“I'm saving it for someone. There's another one over there,” Dan says as politely as he can and points to a desk at the side of the room.  
“He doesn't want that one, he wants this one. Now move your shit,” he says again, a little louder this time.  
Dan is really not in the mood today. He clears his throat and takes a deep breath. “I said, I'm saving it for someone. Your mate can use that empty desk over there,” he says, enunciating every syllable in the most obnoxious way possible.  
Marcus cocks an eyebrow and smirks at Dan. “Alright then, who you saving it for? Your boyfriend?” he mocks, but Dan doesn't see why that's so funny.   
“Actually, yes. It's my boyfriend's first day and unless you're just overcome with sexual desire for him and want him to sit by you, I'm saving this desk for him,” Dan answers, and he mentally pats himself on the back for not stuttering even once.  
Marcus grabbed Dan by his shirt collar and pulled him up and out of his desk, and Dan wasn't sure what would happen first; his shirt ripping or Marcus actually lifting him off the ground. “Listen here, you little faggot-” he spat, but was interrupted.  
“Marcus Johnson, what on Earth do you think you're doing?” Principal Lewis had just walked in to show Phil to his classroom and witnessed their little altercation.   
Marcus let him go and put on his best innocent face. “Oh, Mr. Lewis! You see, Dan was refusing to move his things so that my friend could sit down and well, I guess I lost my temper but-”  
“That's enough, Mr. Johnson. I'll see you in my office once Philip here gets settled. Go,” Mr. Lewis ordered. Dan couldn't help the smile that took over his face as he watched Marcus hang his head and walk out the door. Finally, something might be done about how awful Dan was being treated. Dan turned his attention back to Phil and Mr. Lewis. “Daniel, this is a new student, Philip. As you're somewhat new here as well, I would like for you to show him the ropes a bit today. Now, is there a particular reason that you were saving this desk?”  
“Actually, I was saving it for Phil. He's my new neighbor,” Dan said and grinned at Phil.  
“Marvelous! Well, I expect that you two will get along fine. Now, I'll go and deal with Mr. Johnson,” Mr. Lewis sighed. No one liked dealing with Marcus. He was a bully to everyone and all the teachers knew it, but they could never catch him in the act or with enough evidence to do anything about it. Hopefully now that the Principal himself had witnessed him in action, something could be done about him and his band of miscreants. They watched as Mr. Lewis left and then they grinned at each other before pulling each other into a big hug.  
“I missed you,” Phil sighed as he nuzzled his nose into Dan's curly hair.  
Dan giggled, “We literally walked to school together like ten minutes ago. But I missed you too.”  
They pulled apart and Dan grabbed his bag from Phil's desk so that he could sit down. “Thanks for saving me a seat, bae.”  
Dan cringed as he sat down. “Oh God, please don't ever call me that again,” he said with a chuckle.  
“Why not? I'm just trying to fit it… sweetie pie,” Phil said. He got his notebook and pencil out of his bag and set them out to be ready for class to start.  
“Better, but not quite. Do you want to come over to my house after school or me to yours? Or neither, I don't want to crowd you,” Dan rambled. He was all for having sufficient alone time, but he also kind of wanted to spend every waking (and sleeping) moment with his boyfriend.  
“Yours! You have Mario Kart and my room is still basically empty,” Phil said, and then with a cheeky grin muttered, “Cutie Patootie.”  
Dan covered his eyes with one hand. “Ah, did you just...” he said as the bell rang. Phil was doing his best to stifle his giggles and Dan made a mental note to stop letting Phil beat him at Mario Kart. His boyfriend was literally the worst, even if he was madly in love with him.


End file.
